May 13, 2004 – With shovels in hand, NJ TRANSIT Executive Director George D. Warrington was joined today by Mayor Frank J. Calandriello to break ground for a new 253 space commuter park-and-ride near the Plauderville Train Station.

“Commuter parking has become a hot commodity throughout the State where customers are accessing our system, especially in Bergen County where we are seeing more riders taking advantage of the newly opened Secaucus Junction,” Warrington said. “The transfer station allows for quicker access into Midtown Manhattan and other travel destinations in the State. But along with these new choices comes the challenge of finding additional parking spaces to meet the demand. Thanks to the continuing support of Governor McGreevey, the building of more than 200 parking spaces in Garfield helps NJ TRANSIT in our continuing efforts to increase parking system wide.”

“With parking at a premium Citywide, this new parking lot could bring much needed relief to our traffic clogged community,” Mayor Calandriello said. “We’re thrilled that NJ TRANSIT is moving forward with plans to increase parking capacity here and we look forward to when this project is completed.”

The project is expected to cost $1.5 million and the new parking lot will be located at Outwater Lane and Midland Avenue, behind Bob’s Auto Body Shop. Construction is expected to begin shortly and will end this fall. The project includes pedestrian walkways, lighting, drainage improvements and curbing.

In 2002, Governor McGreevey unveiled his plan for construction and design of more than 20,000 parking spaces over the next five years. The plan supports the

Governor’s “smart growth” initiative and his commitment to add capacity to the state’s transportation system, thereby helping to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality and improve the quality of life for State commuters.

By the end of the summer, NJ TRANSIT will have added more than 7,000 new parking spaces throughout the system. This includes a 1,300 space parking deck at the newly constructed train station in Ramsey, and 1,500 parking spaces at the new Montclair-Boonton Line Station at Montclair State University in Little Falls.

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 752,600 daily trips on 240 bus routes, three light rail lines and 11 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 162 rail stations, 49 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.